Thousands of Australians without power in tropical cyclone aftermath

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, a category two system, struck Australia’s Queensland state, causing power outages for tens of thousands of people. The cyclone made landfall near Townsville on Thursday, bringing damaging winds and heavy rains. As a result of the storm, 64,000 people were without power on Friday, primarily in Townsville. Although Kirrily was downgraded to a tropical low, it is expected to bring heavy rain and possible damaging winds to northern Queensland. The risk of flooding remains high. Military personnel are on standby for cleanup efforts. This comes amid an El Niño weather event in Australia, associated with extreme phenomena such as cyclones, wildfires, droughts, and heatwaves. Parts of Queensland and New South Wales are also on heatwave alert, with temperatures reaching the high forties Celsius.

Source – CGTN